Where to Go

This is up to you. The point of the Church Pilgrimages is you can go anywhere, without pre-booking accommodation, not a specified route, but one you want to do for yourself.

This is rather different from traditional pilgrimages which have a holy site as a destination. The idea here is that everywhere is part of God's creation and that we can encounter the holy by walking, in a silent, simple way. The churches we hope to stay at are places that witness to generations of prayer and collective worship. In this way we can combine the encounter with landscape and nature with a building designed to gather people to worship in common. Architecture, art and heritage bear witness to our desire to bring our concerns to God.

Some people will make a pilgrimage from their home to that of some long dead hero, someone they revere.

Some will plan a walk around significant features, wells or springs, ancient trees, paths, wild life, geology, archaeology.

Some will walk to a holy place, perhaps a cathedral, Canterbury, York, London, Hereford ... or ancient monastery or hermit's cell.

Some will merely go north to south or west to east, from mountain to sea, or from one river valley to another.

This website suggests a Herefordshire route, where churches welcome pilgrims. They were ready in June 2021. The Via Beata east to west route across England ending at St Davids aims to have church resting points along the whole way in time for the 900 years of pilgrimage celebration at St Davids. We hope other parts of Britain, many of which have pilgrim routes, will also provide church sanctuaries very soon.